Skeletal muscle is one of a several adult post-mitotic tissues that retain the capacity to regenerate. This relies on a population of quiescent precursors, termed satellite cells. Here we describe two novel markers of quiescent satellite cells: CD34, an established marker of hematopoietic stem cells, and Myf5, the earliest marker of myogenic commitment. CD34^+ve myoblasts can be detected in proliferating C2C12 cultures. In differentiating cultures, CD34^+ve cells do not fuse into myotubes, nor express MyoD. Using isolated myofibers as a model of synchronous precursor cell activation, we show that quiescent satellite cells express CD34. An early feature of their activation is alternate splicing followed by complete transcriptional shutdown of CD34. This data implicates CD34 in the maintenance of satellite cell quiescence. In heterozygous Myf5^nlacZ/+ mice, all CD34^+ve satellite cells also express β-galactosidase, a marker of activation of Myf5, showing that quiescent satellite cells are committed to myogenesis. All such cells are positive for the accepted satellite cell marker, M-cadherin. We also show that satellite cells can be identified on isolated myofibers of the myosin light chain 3F-nlacZ-2E mouse as those that do not express the transgene. The numbers of satellite cells detected in this way are significantly greater than those identified by the other three markers. We conclude that the expression of CD34, Myf5, and M-cadherin defines quiescent, committed precursors and speculate that the CD34^−ve, Myf5^−ve minority may be involved in maintaining the lineage-committed majority.

The mammalian heart develops from a primary heart tube, which is formed by fusion of bilateral cardiac territories in which myocardial and endothelial cells have already begun to differentiate from splanchnic mesoderm. A population of myocardial precursors has been identified in pharyngeal mesoderm, anterior to the early heart tube. Cell labeling studies have indicated that this novel territory, called the anterior heart field (AHF), gives rise to the myocardial wall of the outflow tract. We now report that not only the myocardium of the outflow tract but also myocardial cells of the embryonic right ventricle are derived from this source. Explants of pharyngeal mesoderm or of the early heart tube were cultured from transgenic mice in which transgene expression marks different regions of the heart. Pharyngeal mesoderm from 5 to 7 somite embryos gives rise to cardiomyocytes with right ventricular and outflow tract identities, whereas the heart tube as this stage has an essentially left ventricular identity. DiI labeling confirms that the early heart tube is destined to contribute to the embryonic left ventricle and indicates that right ventricular myocardium is added from extracardiac mesoderm. Retrospective clonal analysis of the heart at embryonic day (E) 10.5 reveals the existence of a clonal boundary in the interventricular region, which appears during ventricular septation, underlining different origins of the two ventricular compartments. This study demonstrates the differences in the embryological origin of right and left ventricular myocardium, which has important implications for congenital heart disease.

In this review, we focus on two important steps in the formation of the embryonic heart: (i) the progressive addition of late differentiating progenitor cells from the second heart field that drives heart tube extension during looping morphogenesis, and (ii) the emergence of patterned proliferation within the embryonic myocardium that generates distinct cardiac chambers. During the transition between these steps, the major site of proliferation switches from progenitor cells outside the early heart to proliferation within the embryonic myocardium. The second heart field and ballooning morphogenesis concepts have major repercussions on our understanding of human heart development and disease. In particular, they provide a framework to dissect the origin of congenital heart defects and the regulation of myocardial proliferation and differentiation of relevance for cardiac repair.